What Could Have Been
by Princess Yue
Summary: Short oneshot happening during The Cave of Two Lovers. Kataang. Aang debates whether or not to tell Katara how he feels about her.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Avatar...yet :P 

This is just a short oneshot about The Cave of Two Lovers. Kataang. I got this idea in my head when I was sleeping and I finally decided to put it down on paper. Let me know what you think about it.

What Could Have Been

Only moments after the torch flickered and died, moments after their lips touched for the briefest second, the tunnel filled with a startling blue light. In the presence of these crystals the kiss was forgotten as they both gazed silently at them. Katara's hand was laced with one of Aang's and he longed for it to stay that way forever.

"It's made of some kind of crystals. They must only light up in the dark!" Aang declared excitedly.

"That's how the two lovers found each other. They just put out their lights and followed the crystals." Katara let go of Aang's hand and pointed down the tunnel. "That must be the way out!" she exclaimed before wrapping Aang in a hug. For a while neither of them said anything. Aang knew he would have to say something soon – this silence was awkward, and Aang hated awkward situations. He knew that this was the perfect opportunity to tell Katara about his feelings for her, but he couldn't gather up the courage to do so.

When Katara still didn't say anything and the silence stretched on, Aang began, uncertainly, "So…um…", but whether or not she heard him Aang never found out for she chose that moment to yell, "Let's go!". She ran down the tunnel without saying another word, leaving Aang staring wistfully after her. After a moment he followed her, immersed in his own thoughts and thinking of ways to bring the subject up again. Should he just come right out and say "I love you Katara"? Well, he could, but he was unsure of whether it was love or not. Katara was the first girl he ever met. Maybe this was normal. Maybe this was how you were supposed to feel around girls. But no, it didn't feel normal. It felt….different. Different from the love he felt for Gyatso. Different from how he felt around other girls. He really liked her. A lot more than was normal. He blushed so easily around her. He stuttered and lost his tongue when he was around her – and ended up saying stupid things, like earlier when she suggested kissing him as a means of escaping the labyrinth.

Aang felt like slapping his forehead just thinking about it. How could he have been so stupid? She had shyly suggested kissing, and when he didn't give a straightforward opinion (due to being dumbstruck), she tried to act like it was nothing and attempted to laugh it off. Aang remembered how he panicked – what if she rejected him for being so eager? - and, following her lead, tried to laugh to laugh it off as well. But he accidentally overshot it and stated that he definitely wouldn't want to kiss her. Which was a total lie. Katara of course got offended and Aang made the situation worse by telling her that he would rather kiss her than die. But the truth was that he wanted to kiss her. So badly. Katara ended the disastrous conversation by saying angrily that she wasn't sure which she would rather do before stalking off. But in the end, we kissed. It was only the tiniest kiss, the briefest touching of lips lasting only about a second. Yet every time Aang thought about it he got a tingling sensation in his stomach and blushed deep red. _But did he love her?_ he asked himself again. True, he was always watching her, always trying to get closer to her, always trying to get a hug from her. There was that wonderful time when she kissed him on the cheek. He was always trying to impress her and he loved making little gifts for her. But it was more than that. He needed her, plain and simple. He needed her. She was always there for him when he needed her, watching his back. They helped each other out. They were the best of friends. They had been through so much together, good and bad. Was it not love he was feeling? Didn't Gyatso always tell him that love should not be kept a secret? Aang wanted so badly to tell her how he felt. But he was afraid. Afraid of rejection. Afraid, if she didn't love him back, their friendship would be ruined and awkward. Afraid to put his heart on the line only to have it ripped up and stamped on. Ever since he had awoken from the iceberg and found out what had happened in his absence, Aang had felt the need to be accepted. He wanted it so badly that he could keep his feelings for Katara on the inside if it meant that they would always be friends. Aang didn't think he would be able to take it if Katara knew about his feelings but didn't feel the same way about him. It would be so awkward to be around each other, and for that reason they would probably distance themselves. If Aang didn't take the risk and didn't tell her about his feelings, then he would still be able to be around her and enjoy her presence. But if she did feel the same way about him, he would be so happy. _But was it worth the risk?_ he asked himself yet again. Aang was still debating what to do when a sudden burst of bright light met his eyes. Appa bounded happily out of the cave and flopped down on the ground on his back. Katara was already outside watching Appa roll around delightedly.

"What about Sokka?" Aang asked in a worried tone. Katara shrugged with an anxious look on her face. They waited for a while but Sokka didn't show up. Katara sat down on the ground, apparently lost in her own thoughts. _Go on_, Aang urged himself. _This is your chance to tell Katara how you feel._ Aang took a deep breath and sat down carefully next to Katara, thinking about what he was going to say. Finally he spoke.

"Um, Katara?" Aang began shyly. Katara jerked out of her thoughts and turned to look at the young airbender. There was something in his tone that led Katara to think she knew where this was going. She turned her body so she was sitting across from Aang and observed his expression closely. He was shifting around uncomfortably and his beautiful storm grey eyes refused to meet her startling ocean blue ones. Katara also noticed that there was a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Aang?" she finally responded cautiously.

Aang looked as though he was having trouble spitting out what he wanted to tell her. "I, well……um, I-I was just….just wondering…"

"Wondering if the kiss in the cave meant anything?" Katara filled in helpfully. The blush on Aang's cheeks was now definitely noticeable – Katara could practically feel the heat radiating off his face. He finally looked up at her and matched his eyes with hers, eyes full of eagerness and hope. Katara sighed. "Aang…" she didn't know how to put this. She had no idea what to say to the young boy. She was really unsure about her feelings for Aang and even more unsure after the kiss they had shared in the cave. Sure, they were great friends and they had been through so much together, but could they be more than that? Did she like Aang that way? Lately she had been getting the impression that Aang liked her as more than a friend. Or was she just imagining that? She noticed how he blushed so easily around her and how he often became flustered when she touched him. He had also taken to staring absentmindedly at her with a dreamy expression on his innocent face. She had called him on it a few times but he always denied it, so she let it go and pretended she didn't notice. But she did. While she was thinking, Aang reached over and placed his hand on hers. Katara blushed. What was he doing?

"Katara…did you only kiss me to get out of the cave?" Aang looked her directly in the eyes. Katara didn't say anything. "Please Katara… I need to know," he pleaded. Katara looked at the sad and rejected look in his eyes and willed herself to say something, anything to comfort him.

"Aang…" They slowly, gracefully moved closer together and leaned towards one another. After what seemed like an eternity their lips were only inches apart, Aang's warm hand still resting on Katara's. Their eyes closed, just seconds away from kissing, Aang knew this was the moment to confess his love for Katara. "Katara, I…" Aang's voice was barely a whisper. Just as Aang moved in to close the gap between their lips, there was a loud rumbling noise and two badger moles crashed through the rock near the exit of the tunnel. When the dust cleared Sokka was revealed to be riding one of them. Katara and Aang instantly broke apart, blushing. As Katara ran over to see if her brother was okay, Aang sighed. He had been so close to telling Katara how he felt about her, so close to kissing her lovingly. Aang could still feel her breath on his lips where it had been only moments before and he was left to wonder what could have been if Sokka had waited just a moment before bursting out of the cave. Aang sighed again. What could have been.

So, tell me what you think about it. Constructive critism welcome - how else do we make ourselves better?


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